Sausage & Pepper Calzone

I tried my hand at my first ever calzone, and I have to say that it was an instant hit in our house. It's no secret that my fiance loves all things food, especially pizza. So what's even better than pizza? Stuffed pizza! I took the traditional sausage and peppers combo and filled a pizza dough ball full of it, baked it, and served it with some homemade marinara sauce. It was perfectly cheesy, yet crispy at the same time, and made for excellent leftovers the next day. If you're looking for something hearty to serve on a cold night, bundle up and make this calzone for yourself. 

Sausage & Pepper Calzone

Ingredients:

• 1 ball pizza dough
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2/3 lb. hot Italian turkey sausage
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 tbsp. pizza seasoning
• marinara sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains. Add the cooked sausage to a bowl, and place the pan back over the heat. Cook the onions and peppers in the oil left in the pan from the sausage. Cook for 6-8 minutes until softened.

Roll out pizza dough to create a 12x6-inch rectangle. Place onto a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded cheese down the middle, then add the sausage and peppers on top. Top with the remaining cheese.

Fold one side of the rectangle over to cover half of the filling. Brush the whisked egg onto the folded side, and then fold the remaining side on top to close the calzone. 

Brush more whisked egg on the top and sprinkle with pizza seasoning. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese in melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minute before slicing and serving.